Food-stamp recipients can use their taxpayer-funded benefit to order online from retailers like Amazon under a new Obama administration initiative that aims to facilitate the shopping experience for rural and urban residents. It marks the latest of many costly experiments by the administration to expand the fraud-infested program, which has seen a record-high number of beneficiaries under President Obama. To eliminate the welfare stigma, the administration renamed food stamps Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the rolls swelled to an astounding 46.5 million in 2016. This cost American taxpayers and eye-popping $70 billion, according to government figures.
It’s all part of the president’s longtime goal to eradicate what he and the First Lady call an epidemic of “food insecurity” among the nation’s low-income residents. Part of the problem is that this demographic has limited access to healthy food choices, the administration says, and the government must provide them with nutritional options. This is why taxpayers have been forced to dole out tens of millions of dollars to bring fruits and vegetables to the nation’s inner cities, coined “food deserts” by the administration because they lack healthy fare. The new online ordering program will help address this, according to the federal agency that runs the bloated food-stamp program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (USDA).
“Online purchasing is a potential lifeline for SNAP participants living in urban neighborhoods and rural communities where access to healthy food choices can be limited,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement announcing the new program this week. “We’re looking forward to being able to bring the benefits of the online market to low-income Americans participating in SNAP.” Besides Amazon, a few other online businesses have been approved by the feds to accept food stamps online, including Hy-Vee, Hart’s Local Grocers, Safeway and ShopRite. The USDA acknowledges however, that “online payment presents technical and security challenges that will need to be examined and fully addressed…”
It’s the last thing that an out-of-control government program, long plagued with fraud corruption, needs. Under the Obama expansion SNAP has suffered a multitude of serious problems. Back in 2012 a federal investigation uncovered evidence that food-stamp recipients were using the benefit to buy drugs, weapons and other contraband from unscrupulous vendors. A year later Judicial Watch broke a story, based on testimony and other evidence provided by a whistleblower, about the U.S. government knowingly giving illegal immigrants food stamps for decades. That was followed by another disturbing scheme in which SNAP benefits were being sold online using social media such as Facebook, Twitter and ecommerce websites like Craigslist and eBay.
Earlier this year federal authorities in south Florida busted the largest food-stamp fraud operation in U.S. history. Twenty-two defendants in the largely black and Hispanic areas of Miami-Dade County known as Opa-Locka and Hialeah swindled the government out of $13 million by fraudulently trading food stamps for cash. The crooked vendors operated food and produce stands at a local flea market as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative to eradicate “food deserts,” common in poor, minority communities where fresh, healthy food is tough to find or often unavailable. The feds say the business owners and their employees let food-stamp recipients use their welfare benefit to get cash in exchange for a cut of the money. They swiped the recipient’s SNAP card for an inflated amount, doled out cash and kept a percentage. In most instances the recipient didn’t actually get food, according to federal authorities.
What food does anyone order using Amazon? Lobster? Omaha Steaks?
I order almonds. four bucks a pound cheaper than anything I can find locally and equal or better quality so it doesn’t cut corners.
I use it to make almond butter if you’re curious, cheaper by far than buying it ready made in little bitty jars and I can make it they way I like it (I use it because it has tremendous health benefits and helps keep my weight down). (Yes, I realize that’s probably more information than you need and not really related to your question after the first sentence)
I want more information actually
About making it or the health benefits?
YouTube has some stuff about making it but there are other ways that don’t get shown there (it’s pretty easy), health benefits are touted widely across various sites with some being sensational and some realistic.
If you’re trying to lose or maintain weight, almond butter does a decent job of helping you reduce your consumption of snack foods without making an actual effort, just eat a tablespoon a couple times a day between meals and see if you end up eating less the way I do. I also find they have more benefit than bananas and such for aiding a leg cramping problem I have, not sure why.
This could be a whole subject in itself, and I sort of feel like I’m hijacking the valuable subject of the thread so I’ll quit now.
How many almonds can one eat? How many can you stick up your ass?
Dutch, I believe I read that garlic was one you might want to consume that way. Some folks consume alcohol that way. One author said Marilyn got her last shot rectally. What a way to go.
I must admit my ” Christian Charity ” is being tested to the breaking point.What to do ? I don’t mind helping people who need help but most of the people I have seen using those cards are already over weight if not fat.Those big fat black women are the ones that really get my attention.I have never said anything but I do watch in amazement.
Charity is quite different than “legalize theft,” BB. Not having a choice in the matter is certainly not charity. It is called “tyranny.”
Old machinists never die…
They just make a new tool.
Ha ha U! Sounds like you read something I may have wrote. I resemble that remark.
Liberal government spending knows no bounds. You can’t make this shit up!
If fresh, healthy food is hard to find in the inner cities, it is only because shoppers there are not inclined to buy it. They want the highly processed crap food, which they can also buy plenty of online.
The obesity levels indicate that there are no “food deserts”. More propaganda to help the chosen few make more money.
There are ‘food deserts’. You see I knew a manager of a well known supermarket chain, here in Minneapolis, in the hood. The Neegrows would steal the chicken and steaks, high dollar items, items that could be converted. laundry detergent, fight in the store, do drug deals in the parking lot.
After 5 years they left.
Well at least they won’t be able to steal the online food, and they won’t even have to up off their asses to go shopping (or shoplifting).
But they do. They’re now robbing trucks that deliver for Amazon.
The nigras left after 5 years? Sounds like the 5 year locust.
Unfortunately, the coons are still there. Supermarket – vacant.
Both Bellwood and Maywood Illinois, just west of Chicago in “Crook” County, lost both of their remaining grocery stores because of the conduct of the “Natives.” They would steal your shadow given the chance.
Gayle….the reason the over-weight ones in the city cannot find
fresh, healthy food is B-CUZ they won’t get off the couch.
If food security is the issue then give people a food allowance. Every month they get a certain amount of beans, rice, oats, milk, bread, eggs, fruits and veggies, and some ground beef and a few chickens. That’s IT. If they want different they can WORK for it.
This is nothing short of recycling money thru commercials to manifest it back into campaign donations for democrats…….Jeff Bozos and his new age wally world are probably thrilled about this. I would love to do an audit of what has been bought under this program……
And yes….almonds are a great snack either with fruit or by the handful…..
I do not buy almonds…….almonds come from California…….I try not to buy anything from California.
Most vegetables and such do as well.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2013/07/california_grows_all_of_our_fruits_and_vegetables_what_would_we_eat_without.html
Your momma came from California so your dad refused to eat her. She was never quite satisfied.
I try to buy only Mexican products. How else can they pay for the wall?
Won’t matter. Who in their right mind would deliver the shit to the ghetto.
More dindu nuffins. http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/15/six-teens-beat-woman-ny-train-looking-displeasure-police-say/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social